Brazil Matters —A day after Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff visited Barack Obama at the White House, The New York Timesexplores the evidence of a palpable disconnect between the Latin American giant’s self image as a new-era global power and the U.S.’s less-than-preferential treatment of the country’s head of state. The U.S. and Brazil enjoy robust trade ties, but often hold divergent views on issues ranging from foreign intervention in the Middle East to Brazil’s long-standing demand for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. Brazil belongs to the feted club of developing nations that emerged relatively unscathed from the global financial crisis, but analysts have expressed concern over the economy’s abrupt slowdown in 2011, and Foreign Policy wonders if the Brazilian miracle is all but over.

Women Without Rights — Pakistan and Afghanistan share the dubious distinction of being two of the world’s most dangerous countries for women. In a series of poignant interviews with oppressed Pakistani women, the Atlantichighlights the deep-seated gender biases pervading the country’s patriarchal society. This report contextualizes the recent suicide of Fakhra Younus, the victim of a gruesome acid attack who jumped to her death from a building in Rome, causing a storm of outrage in Pakistan. And in a special series, Global Postlooks at how Afghanistan’s government is stacked squarely against women.

Return of the Regime’s Henchman —Earlier this week, Omar Suleiman, ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s spy chief, entered the fray for Egypt’s presidency, sparking widespread alarm over the lingering presence – and some say gradual resurgence – of the country’s old order brought down a year ago by a hard-fought revolution. In an article titled “Mubarak’s Enforcer,” Foreign Policylooks at the man in question and the implications of his reentry into public life. In a post-revolution landscape already mired in chaos, TIME’s Abigail Hauslohner explains how this last-minute surprise adds a fresh layer of complexity to the election by pitting former regime figures against the country’s newly influential Islamists.

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back —The Christian Science Monitor explores whether al-Qaeda is taking advantage of instability in Yemen to strengthen its presence on the Arabian Peninsula. New Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has pledged to combat terrorism, but has done little to curtail the escalating violence in the country. Militants suspected to be linked to al-Qaeda attacked a Yemeni army post on Monday, killing at least 40, the BBC reports.

Rise of the Mileurista— In an op-ed for AméricaEconomía a Chilean business executive explains the phenomenon of the mileurusta — highly educated Spanish youth seeking opportunities in Latin America and elsewhere to escape soaring unemployment and economic insecurity back home. Spanish emigration to Chile rose by 92% between 2007 and 2011. The trend is mutually beneficial, as Spanish youth need work and high-skill industries such as engineering require more labor in Chile. “As Chile continues to develop, those kinds of opportunities are likely to expand even more,” the author writes.

London 2012 — On top of the Olympics, London will host a mayoral election this summer. With just under one month to go, incumbent Boris Johnson leads challenger Ken Livingstone by a slim margin, the Guardianreports. The Wall Street Journal adds the May 3 vote may be less about Johnson and Livingstone than a wider test of both political parties in the next general election.